The worst passwords of 2019 have been revealed, and the list shows that some people will never learn. These are the most commonly used passwords from recent data breaches. Which makes them both really common and easily broken. So, avoid at all costs.
Are Passwords Still Effective in 2019?
Passwords are slowly but surely being revealed to be a mediocre method of securing your online accounts. There have been so many data breaches now that a lot of passwords have been exposed to hackers and cybercriminals, rendering them ineffective.
Every year, SplashData, makers of several password managers, curates a list of the worst passwords of the year. The worst passwords of 2018 saw Donald Trump, Top Gun, Star Wars, and Harley Quinn inspire new (bad) passwords. So, what has happened in 2019?
The Worst Passwords of 2019, Revealed
SplashData has compiled its list of the worst passwords of 2019. There are 100 passwords listed in all, and there’s a mix of the usual suspects as well as some new entries. You can see the full list on the TeamsID website, but here are the Top 10 to give you a flavor.
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- password
- 1234567
- 12345678
- 12345
- iloveyou
- 111111
- 123123
So far, so familiar. All of these passwords appeared in the 2018 list, and most of them near the top. Using “password” as a password is particularly dumb, so it’s heartening to see that lose the top spot. However, millions of people are clearly still using it.
The idea of using a sequence of numbers is also still prevalent, and continues all the way through the Top 100. As for interesting entries, “dragon” is new in at #23, “liverpool” appears at #31, “ginger” makes it to #51, and “trustno1” comes in at #94.
Always Enable Two-Factor Authentication
This paints a depressing picture of people’s attitudes to passwords. However, it’s important to remember that these only represent a fraction of commonly used passwords. So, we can assume that most people are taking their online security more seriously.
If you’re only now realizing how bad your passwords are, there are things you can do. For one, enable two-factor authentication wherever it’s available. You should also consider using a password manager, and here are the best password managers for every occasion.
Read the full article: The Worst Passwords of 2019 Have Been Revealed
